HOLYWELL MUSIC ROOM
Directions
Return from Bath Place to Holywell Street. Directly opposite you, notice the Holywell Music Room, a Georgian building set slightly back from the road.
Orientation cue: It’s the elegant cream-stone hall with arched windows and a classical façade, clearly marked Holywell Music Room.
About
“Back on Holywell Street, notice the Holywell Music Room across the street. Built in the 1740’s, it is the oldest surviving building in Europe designed exclusively for concerts.”
The Music Room opened in 1748 and still hosts chamber performances today. In Lewis’s time, its concerts drew students and dons alike. The building’s graceful proportions and soft acoustics reflect Oxford’s long love of beauty wedded to discipline — qualities Lewis prized both in art and in faith.
